Serial interfaces such as the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface are used to connect data storage devices to a host device or host adapter. The data transfer rate of first-generation SATA (SATA-I) is 1.5 Gbps. Second and third generations cumulatively double that speed to 3 Gbps and 6 Gbps, respectively. SATA permits a first device to transmit data to a second device by serially transmitting a plurality of bits (“bitstream”) that is encoded such that a clock can be recovered from the received data bitstream.
The serial link is physically formed by a bust made up of transceivers at both ends of a transmission line and joined together by various connectors. The transmission line, such as but not limited to copper wires or traces, can have inherent electrical discontinuities and can form electrical discontinuities with the connectors. Furthermore, there can be an impedance mismatch between the transmission line and the transceivers. The electrical and mechanical characteristics of the transmission line between the transmitter and receiver can distort the signal at the receiver causing reduced data transfer rates and data transfer errors.
The claimed embodiments are directed to solutions for these problems.